1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate housing container that is used for housing, storing, and transporting or the like of a semiconductor wafer, a glass wafer, or the like.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-169248, filed on Jun. 27, 2007, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a semiconductor wafer, a glass wafer, or the like is housed or transported in a state where a plurality thereof is housed in a substrate housing container. (Please refer Patent Documents 1 to 3.) In the substrate housing container for housing wafers, it is necessary to support the plurality of wafers which are housed with predetermined intervals so that the wafers do not touch with each other. For this reason, a wafer slot, for supporting the plurality of wafers with the predetermined intervals, is provided, and a substrate securing jig, for holding the wafers supported by the wafer slot as it is, is provided.
For example, in Patent Document 1, as a container main body for housing the semiconductor wafer, a structure provided with a ditch plank for supporting the semiconductor wafer from both sides is disclosed. In Patent Document 2, a structure provided with a ditch plank supporting member for supporting the plurality of wafers inside of the container main body is disclosed. In Patent Document 3, a substrate housing container of a front open box type, provided with rear retainers having a plurality of ditches on both left and right sides of the container, is disclosed, and a structure, for horizontally supporting the semiconductor wafer by fitting the semiconductor wafer between the rear retainers of left and right sides, is disclosed.
An example of the conventional substrate housing container as configured above is shown in FIG. 15.
The substrate housing container is provided with a main case 101, a front side of which is opened, a lid body 102 for opening and closing the front side of the main case which is opened.
As shown in FIG. 15B, in the main case 101, a plurality of wafer slots 105 is arrayed in the vertical direction with predetermined intervals on the inner surface of side wall portions 103, 104 which are facing each other. Wafers 106 are housed one by one between each pair of the wafer slots 105 arrayed in the vertical direction. The wafers 106 are supported by and bridge the pair of wafer slots 105 located below against the gravitational direction.
As shown in FIG. 15A, on the inner surface of a side wall portion 107 facing the front side of the main case 101, a plurality of substrate securing jigs 108a for engaging with a circumferential portion of the wafer 106, which is supported on the wafer slot 105, is arrayed. On the side of the main case 101 of the lid body 102, a plurality of substrate securing jigs 108b for engaging with a circumferential portion of the wafer 106, which is supported on the wafer slot 105, is arrayed. The wafer 106 housed in the main case 101 is secured to a predetermined position (a state supported by a wafer slot 105) in the main case 101 by being clipped with the substrate securing jig 108a provided on the side wall portion 107 and the substrate securing jig 108b provided on the lid body 102 in a state where the lid body 102 is installed onto main case 101. Accordingly, even when the substrate housing container is subject to vibration during transportation or the like, the wafer 106 is held on the wafer slot 105 and so damages to wafer 106 by, for example, the wafers 106 touch each other or the wafer 106 touches the inner surface of the main case 101, are prevented.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2004-214269
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2004-247467
Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2005-005525
However, with the substrate housing container as described above, when the lid body 102 is installed on the main case 101, the wafer 106 is secured on the wafer slot 105 as described above. When the lid body 102 is released, the wafer 106 is clipped with the substrate securing jig 108a and the substrate securing jig 108b is released, so a state in which the wafer 106 is placed and not secured on the wafer slot 105 is obtained. For this reason, there has been such problems, for example when the lid body is released and the substrate housing container is transported, or operations such as wafers being taken out or brought in to the substrate housing container are performed, the wafer 106 is moved from above the wafer slot 105 and touches another wafer 106 or a wall surface or the like of the main case 101 which leads to the damage or breakage of wafers 106.
This problem becomes a similar concern in the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1. That is, since the wafer is not secured when the lid is released, when the wafer is taken out manually in a state where the main case is inclined; there is a concern that the wafer might touch other members and be damaged due to unexpected movements of the wafer.
The present invention was achieved in view of the above circumstances, and has as its main object to provide a substrate housing container which can hold the wafer in the predetermined position even when the substrate housing container is moved in a state where the lid is released.